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Swineshead before 1086

Looking north towards
Looking north towards NMR360597

The earliest evidence of settlement in Swineshead may be prehistoric or Roman, it is not known for certain which. Two sites have been identified. One lies just south of the High Street nearly opposite the junction with Sandye Lane. This site may be a round barrow, in which case it would be Bronze Age, or it may be a Roman ring ditch. The site only appears from the air as a crop mark [National Monuments Record Number 967725].

The other site is also a crop mark and lies south of the road to Melchbourne about mid way between Green Lane and the road leading to Grange Farm, Riseley. The structure appears to be curvilinear and may have annexes. Again it could be a prehistoric or Roman feature [NMR Number 967415].

A definitely Roman feature is a U-shaped enclosure between the north end of Sandye Lane and Swineshead Wood. This feature has yielded Romano-British pot sherds as well as slag [NMR Number 360597]